Home Organization

Home Organization Ideas for the Holidays

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December 1, 2010

When your home becomes hectic during the holiday season, simple, straightforward organization really comes in handy. Transform your home into a haven for you, your family and your holiday guests with special, organized touches. We’ll help make it easy for you to keep everything running smoothly with thoughtful suggestions for the kitchen, living room and bathroom.

Calm the Kitchen
When everything is in its place, cooking, entertaining and finding what you need is a breeze. Guests can help themselves and that helps you!

Organize Your Workspace: A well laid-out kitchen can make all the difference during the busy holiday season. Make cooking easier and more enjoyable by using our Efficient Kitchen tips.
Kitchen Clean-Up: To keep your kitchen in tip-top shape during the holidays, make an effort to immediately clean up after every meal. Use these everyday clean-up tips and tricks to help simplify the process.
Lovely Labels: Once your kitchen is organized and clean for efficiency, label cabinets and drawers so necessary items are always easy to find for you and your visitors.

Labeled: Screw decorative metal label holders onto cabinets and drawers so you can slide paper labels in and out as you please. Look for label holders in the scrapbooking section of your local craft store or visit a home goods or office supply store for more options.
Tagged: Attach decorative luggage tags to knobs and handles or print and hang our festive hangtags to designate what’s inside.

Dish Cart Solution: Transporting dishes back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen can be quite a hassle. A rolling cart can be your saving grace, serving as portable storage for glasses and dishes and even a serving table for drinks and appetizers. When dinner is over, roll the cart back to the kitchen and place dishes in the sink or dishwasher.

Rolling Cart Project: Home Maven Patrick came up with this clever project for repurposing two coffee tables to make entertaining and transporting dishes easy. Create your own Functional Service Cart using his simple instructions.

Closets: With chilly weather in full swing, you’ll need to easily access your winter wardrobe and must-have items like scarves, gloves and boots. Use our Organization Tips for Winter Closets to freshen your closets and create space for visitors’ cold-weather items.

Relax the Living Room
Kicking back with close family and friends all winter long is easy when everything you need is organized and right at your fingertips.

Winter Comfort: Organize and adorn your space with chilly weather in mind. Read Nesting Tips and Home Décor Ideas to get easy, affordable tips for creating an effortlessly cozy experience for you, your family and guests.

Tip: Attend to cleaning duties that focus on the details, like dusting high-up areas and ornate items, before guests arrive so you can spend more time with friends and family.

Organized Essentials: Try to remove all non-essentials like magazines, mail and toys, from the living room or entertainment area during this time of year so your space feels clean and un-cluttered.

Remotes: Place all remotes in a basket or on a tray and label each one with the name of the corresponding device.
Coasters: Protect your furniture by placing sets of coasters on tables throughout the living room. Try out pretty Felt Coasters project to add personal flair to this functional item.
Memories: Place a set of photo albums or decorative photo boxes on a coffee table for instant, easy reminiscing. Get out your holiday DVDs or family movies and store them in a basket or on a shelf near your media center.

Streamline the Bathroom
Keep this highly trafficked room tidy and looking great. With basic necessities in plain sight, friends and family don’t need to search around for what they need.

Make Storage: All too often bathrooms can fall short on space, allowing items to become cluttered. Use our smart bathroom storage solutions to keep items orderly, allowing visitors to easily navigate the bathroom.
Organizing Most-Used Items: Start by clearing off all your bathroom surfaces. First decide which items you can toss and what can be stored away in a closet or drawer. Next, use the ideas below to organize the essentials you want to keep out for easy access.

Countertop: In a large bathroom, set out a folded hand towel and collection of your essential toiletries on a decorative dish next to the sink. Plastic or acrylic dishes are inexpensive, unbreakable and easy to wash.
Toilet Tank: Use the top of the toilet tank as a resting spot for a slim basket filled with holiday hand towels, soap, lotion, mouthwash and other everyday needs.
Replenishing: Keep a basket in a bathroom closet or under the sink and fill it with essentials like extra hand towels, toiletries, air fresheners and toilet paper so you can easily replenish any used-up items in a snap.
Comfort and Function: Whether your bathroom is large, small or in between, you can use our tips to Organize a Busy Bathroom and store various bathroom necessities in attractive and useful ways.

It’s often the small, simple touches that are most appreciated. Making your home organized and accessible is an easy way to make everyone feel at home for the holidays.